Islamabad, Jan 14: Backtracking from his earlier announcement, Pakistan Interior Minister Faisel Saleh Hayat has ruled out an extradition treaty with India.
Saleh, who last week said in an interview to a local
daily that Pakistan would shortly invite Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani to discuss among other things a "structured
dialogue" to work out an extradition treaty between the two
countries, told reporters yesterday that no such treaty was on
the cards.
"Such discussions are not taken in matter of few days,"
he said without making any reference to his own interview to
the local daily `The News` on January eight expressing his
readiness to hold a structured dialogue with Advani on the
security related issues, including signing of an extradition
treaty. Hayat`s interview created ripples in the Pakistan
foreign office here.
Pakistan foreign office spokesman, Masood Khan on Monday
virtually denied Hayat`s interview stating that there were no
plans by the Pakistan government to invite Advani.
Khan said no decision has been taken to invite Advani and
no invitation has been extended to the Indian deputy premier.
Apparently retracting his earlier remarks, Hayat, a former
Benazir Bhutto loyalist, who later defected to join Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali government, said Pakistan
has the extradition treaty with other countries but there was
no immediate chance of working out such a pact with India.
He said the recent India-Pakistan peace process was just
a beginning. "We have to move step by step for improvement of
relations and restoration of trust," he said.
Bureau Report
